HomeFeaturesThe 6 Best Tips for a Perfect Sunless Summer Tan

The 6 Best Tips for a Perfect Sunless Summer Tan

We all know that lying out in the sun to get a perfect bronze tan isn’t worth the trade off of melanoma, sun spots or early wrinkles. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great faux glow to mimic the real thing before you hit the beach this summer.
After all, self-tanner has come a long way in recent years. “It used to be kind of gross and stinky and smelly,” says Erin Schiavello, owner of Vanity Tans, a mobile airbrush tanning boutique in Central New Jersey. “Self-tanner really has improved a lot in recent years. A lot of companies use all-natural ingredients with botanicals and anti-aging and anti-oxidants.”
Now there’s no need to resort to baby oil or tanning beds to show off your new white sundress or string bikini this summer. With a few tricks of the trade, you can fake and bake with the best of them without ever resorting to a streaky, orange tan.
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Here are Schiavello’s top 6 tips for getting that perfect tan at home:
Exfoliate: “One of the most important things to do before you tan is to have clean, shaved skin, and you want to exfoliate. Exfoliating will promote a longer lasting tan. There are exfoliating scrubs you can buy for $8 to $100 but it’s so not necessary. You can just go into your kitchen, take out a little bit of baking soda and mix it in a bowl with warm water. Take a quarter size and rub it all over your arms and lightly on your face, all over your body then shower and rinse it off afterwards. It’s cheap, quick and your skin feels super smooth afterwards.”
Use Homemade Ingredients: “You can also make your own self-tanner at home. It won’t last but it uses ingredients most people have in their kitchen. Mix cocoa powder with any type of white lotion like Eucerin or Dove. Take a ¼ cup of the lotion and a ¼ cup of the cocoa powder. Mix it together until it’s lump-free. After your skin is prepped and shaved and clean, literally just wipe it on your body just like you would any other lotion. It will come off in the shower just like any other lotion would.”
Vanity TansDon’t Settle for the Cheap Stuff: “My go-to product if I’m going to self-tan at home is Infinity Sun Glow and Go. That’s the product I recommend. It smells amazing and it dries really quickly. You can also buy them at the drugstore, but some will smell better, some will look more natural and some will look like you really just came out of the sun. Something you’re going to buy for $8 isn’t going to have the same look as something more expensive.”
Practice Makes Perfect: “Certain parts of your body are drier than other parts. So, if you’re a first-timer, I don’t recommend doing a self-tanner the day before a special event. Give yourself some time, and practice and focus on the areas you really want to look tan. If you’ve never done it before, don’t wait until the last minute because you may not love the results. It’s something that fades with time. It’s not something you can just wash off.”
Protect Your Cuticles and Palms: “If you do get tanner on your palms or feet, you can scrub with the baking powder mixture I told you about. But the best way to protect your cuticles or the palms of your hands is to use Vaseline or a thick moisturizer in those areas and definitely around your elbows or knees as well. Use a lighter coat around your knees and elbows because you don’t want to be white in those areas, but it won’t be completely saturated either.”
Stay Hydrated: “Keep your insides hydrated as well, because drinking lots of water keeps your skin hydrated. If your skin isn’t dried out, you’ll have less of a cell turnover so you won’t have to worry so much about self-tanner fading as quickly. I drink almost a gallon of water a day. It’s just so good for you! I always recommend that to my clients.”


Hero (Top) Feature Image: © fotosmile777 / Adobe Stock
Additional Image Courtesy: Vanity Tan

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